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Core Facilities

In Arts, Sciences and Engineering

River Campus researchers have access to a wide array of state-of-the-art equipment, facilitating research ranging from analysis of geological samples to fabrication of specialized optics to brain imaging to advanced statistical analysis of international conflict and trade.

Biology

Confocal Microscope

The Confocal Microscope in the Department of Biology is a Leica SP5 capable of four-color fluorescent microscopic imaging of small biological samples. It has tiling capability and is equipped with a piezo-z stage, which allows for three dimensional digital reconstruction.

Chemistry

The Center for Enabling New Technologies through Catalysis is a NSF Phase II Center for Chemical Innovation. CENTC brings together researchers from across North America to collaboratively address the economic, environmental and national security needs for more efficient, inexpensive and environmentally friendly methods of producing chemicals and fuels from a variety of feedstocks. The CENTC includes: PerkinElmer 2400 Series II Analyzer, PerkinElmer Model AD-6 Autobalance, and dedicated VAC Atmospheres glove box loaded with Ar (argon) gas.

Equipment: Experiments are run on a Bruker-AXS SMART Platform diffractometer equipped with an APEX II CCD area detector. Molybdenum radiation is delivered by a fine focus X-ray tube powered at 50 kV and 30 mA. A Kryo-Flex low temperature device is operated at 100.0(5) K, with an available range of 90-300 K. Samples are examined with a polarizing microscope; air-sensitive materials are prepared under an inert atmosphere.

Experiments: Typical data collections take 8-24 hours, controlled by the APEX2 software package from Bruker-AXS. Data manipulation and structural solution and refinement are performed with the SHELXTL package from Bruker-AXS.

Samples: On average only a few crystals are required to find an acceptable specimen; more is better, bigger is better. Crystals are accepted dry or in mother liquor. Samples are not returned unless the submitter requests it.

Report Files: The submitter receives via email a CIF (crystallographic information file) and full report file (PDF and DOC formats). The former is for journal and database submission and the latter contains experimental data, ORTEP diagrams, bond lengths and angles.

Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Stable Isotopes in the Environment,
Analytical Laboratory (SIREAL) is a shared resource for the entire
University as well as non-affiliated clients. The lab was established
originally for analysis of geological materials, but has diverse capabilities
that are of general interest to the University research community. SIREAL
offers users training in the preparation of samples for analysis as well as
training for the use of the instrumentation (under certain circumstances). This
may be of value for projects requiring large numbers of analyses, as we offer
discounted prices for University Clients as well as further discounts if our
own staff need not prepare the samples. The cost for analysis is on a
per-unknown sample basis (not hourly).

Laboratory for Laser Energetics

The Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) is a unique national resource for research and education in science and technology. LLE has a five-fold mission: (1) to conduct laser-fusion implosion experiments in support of the National Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) program; (2) to develop new laser and materials technologies; (3) to provide education in electro-optics, high-power lasers, high-energy-density physics, plasma physics, and nuclear fusion technology; (4) to conduct research and development in advanced technology related to high-energy-density physics; and (5) to operate the National Laser Users' Facility (NLUF). LLE houses the Omega 60 and Omega EP systems.

The Electronics Shop provides the full range of electronics services from engineering, design, manufacture, assembly, and test to repair. The shop specialized in design and fabrication of highly sensitive and fast instrumentation, detection, data acquisition and control systems employing embedded microprocessor hardware and software, power supplies, RF analog designs, etc., to support specialized research projects. Printed circuit board layout and manufacturing facilities exist in-house. The services of the Electronics Shop are available to any University customer. The present shop rate is $70/hour.

The Mechanical Engineering and Design Shop provides the full range of mechanical design, engineering, fabrication, assembly and testing capabilities. The shop specializes in the design and construction of unique and precision components and structures and has resident CAD and FEA engineering specialists to support research projects.

The services of the Mechanical Engineering and Design Shop are available to any UR customer seeking the broad range of skills from design to prototype sample and in-house metrology. The present shop rate is $83/hour. Estimates are available by contacting the point of contact below. Services are requested by providing an account number and approving the estimate.

The Optical Fabrication Shop has the capability of fabricating specialized optics. This includes the polishing of substrates up to 300 mm in diameter to a flatness of //20 and a rms surface roughness of 0.5nm. The fabrication of small optics, e.g. lenses, prisms, wedges, mirrors, lenslet arrays, laser oscillator rods, etc., is done with a variety of glasses and crystals.

This shop contains two Rogers and Clark annular-ring continuous-polishing machines of 36 inches and 60 inches, respectively. Finish polishing on these machines is supported by an array of single-spindle grinding and polishing stations. A new capability for grinding and polishing barrels and cylinders was recently acquired. The facility is equipped with a fume hood for acid etching and a Zygo Mark IV xp interferometer.

The Optical Manufacturing Shop has the capability of supplying optical devices in dimensions up to 75 cm. This includes: Deposition of metal and high laser damage threshold multilayer dielectric thin film coatings. High quality reflectors, polarizers, and antireflection coatings are produced by reactive evaporation with an electron-beam gun onto heated substrates. Ion-assisted deposition routinely supplements this process when required.

Mechanical Engineering

X-Ray Analysis Laboratory

The Department
of Mechanical Engineering supports and houses the X-Ray Analysis Laboratory with two Philips x-ray diffractometers, a Materials Research Diffractometer and a Multi-Purpose Diffractometer. The
instrumentation was funded from National Science Foundation, Division of
Materials Research and the UR with equipment help from Bausch & Lomb. The
Materials Research Diffractometer, MRD, is well suited for very high-resolution
work especially for thin films and single crystal multilayer diffraction
analysis; the Multi-Purpose Diffractometer, MPD, is for powder or
polycrystalline diffraction analysis at room or non-ambient temperatures with
controlled atmospheres. These instruments have a wide range of applications:
they perform qualitative and quantitative analysis of powder diffraction data, high
resolution rocking curves for electronic epitaxial wafers, quantifying defects
and perfection in high quality crystals, measuring thin film thickness, layer
densities and interface quality.

Medical Center

The Confocal and Conventional Microscopy Core provides a Olympus
FV1000 laser scanning confocal microscope, an Olympus fluorescence microscope,
and capability for large specimen imaging of gross and comparative histological
samples. Current software capabilities include: StereoInvestigator, Image Pro
Plus, full FV1000 software on workstation, and Image J. All users are provided
the ability and expertise to characterize biologic specimens using
sophisticated fluorescence and/or brightfield microscopy. Assistance with all
imaging procedures, as needed by the investigators, is provided.

Physics and Astronomy

UR’s C.E.K. Mees Observatory, devoted to research, teaching, and public instruction, is located 40 miles south of Rochester in the Bristol Hills at an elevation of 701 m (2260 ft). The Observatory houses a 61-cm Boller and Chivens Cassegrain reflector, dedicated May 8, 1965. In March 2000 the telescope was upgraded to computer control by DFM Engineering.

The S.W. Barnes facility is a resource managed by the Department of Physics and Astronomy. It consists of Drafting, Machine and Electronic Shops.

Drafting Shop: The drafting shop is a mechanical design facility, staffed by one engineer, which serves any interested users, capable of producing drawings up to E-size.

Machine Shop: Two machine shops and one highly-qualified instrument maker serve mainly the Physics department, but also accept orders from anywhere within UR. In addition, a technician can provide assembly services as well as light machining in wood, metals or plastics.

Electronic Shop: An electronics shop is available for use. Printed circuit layouts using AutoCAD, as well as design and assembly or prototype units, constitute most of the workload in this shop.

We have X-ray Photoelectron and Auger Electron Spectroscopy (XPS and AES) for surface analysis. XPS and AES are surface sensitive techniques that can be used for quantitative and semi-quantitative elemental and chemical analysis. Standard sample heating and Ar ion sputter-cleaning are available. For more sophisticated electronic structure analysis Inverse Photoemission Spectroscopy (IPES), Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy, and Ultraviolet Photoemission Spectroscopy (UPS) are also available. The sample size equipment is typically 1 cm X 1 cm X 1mm. Circular samples with 1 cm diameter can also be accommodated. The cost is $80 per hour.

Other

The Center for Integrated Research Computing (CIRC) provide researchers across the University with hardware, software, training, and support necessary to utilize computational science and computing technology in research activities in all areas of academic scholarship. CIRC supports over 540 users across the Medical Center and River Campus from over 35 departments and centers, including disciplines from medicine, engineering, and the biological and physical sciences. The Center currently maintains systems with an aggregated computational performance of 240 teraFLOPS, 640 terabytes of disk storage, and a variety of advanced scientific software applications and tools. CIRC hosts a monthly symposium where faculty and students showcase their research to the University community, learn about the application of computing technology to research problems, and participate in discussions that lead to collaborative opportunities. The Center's expertise, consultation services, collaboration, and community building activities are essential for facilitating the research mission of the University.

The Integrated Nanosystems Center consists of a nearly 1,000-square-foot metrology (measurement) facility and a 2,000-square-foot, cleanroom fabrication facility. The center's array of electron microscopes, sputtering tools, etchers and other equipment is tailored to assist key UR and regional research interests, including development of biosensors, fuel cells, nanoscale filter membranes and light emitters. Applications range from GPS systems to detection of lethal biological warfare agents, and from portable dialysis devices to more efficient energy use.

The Rochester Center for Brain Imaging (RCBI) provides researchers at the University of Rochester, as well as neighboring institutions, with access to a state-of-the-art 3T magnet for research using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The RCBI is a 6,000-square-foot facility housing a Siemens 3T whole-body horizontal-bore Trio magnet.